Album Review: Various Artists - Muppets: The Green Album

Released 22nd August

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Ahead of upcoming movie The Muppets being released next year, Walt Disney Records is releasing a tribute album to The Muppets.

Featuring previous Muppets collaborators Weezer (who get nice nod in the album title) alongside the likes of The Fray, Alkaline Trio and Evanescence's Amy Lee, an album of Muppets covers could easily have been a flop.

As it stands, it's a wonderful tribute to the much-loved show, whilst more than holding its own musically.

Despite The Fray's cover of 'Mahna Mahna' being more puzzling that nostalgic or entertaining, the rest of the album manages to hit the mark.

Weezer and Hayley Williams perform a beautiful version of 'Rainbow Connection', originally in The Muppet Movie in 1979.

The original, sung by Kermit, was nominated for an Oscar and had a beautiful innocence about it.

This version manages to hold onto that, and is an early highlight on the album.

It goes from strength-to-strength with another The Muppet Movie cover, this time with Alkaline Trio offering their punk take on 'Movin' Right Along'.

It's always nice to hear Trio having fun, and they seem to be really enjoying themselves on this track.

Songs like 'Mr. Bassman' and 'Bein' Green' are nice, chilled acoustic moments giving the album a shift in pace.

The latter is a fan-favourite, and Andrew Bird does it justice here.

There are heavier moments courtersy of Brandon Saller and Billy Martin on hard-hitting 'Night Life', which is a shocking albeit great moment for the tribute.

Muppets: The Green Album manages to tread the line of being tongue-in-cheek and a fitting tribute well.

Good for a nostalgic listen, the songs have a surprising amount of strength in this setting, and it's a good collection in its own right.